New queens just arrived

[Hebeegeebee]

As far as I am aware (And Norton can correct me if I'm wrong please) is that the idea of releasing the attendants is so that disease (Nosema) is less likely to be transferred from the stressed and well-travelled bees - who have been unable to relieve themselves outside - into the recipient colony. From what I've read, I don't believe that there is any difference in acceptance whether attendants are there or not. Acceptance is about 80% according to Dave Cushman.

 

[Norton]

The cages should not be released until a week after placing in colony, all queen cells culled and the receiving colony bees stop balling the cage and have accepted the queen in the cage BEFORE removing the clip. Then leave alone for at least a week.
Just placing in the hive is too risky.

The point about Nosema is valid, but transfer of Nosema is rare unless the attendants have fouled the cage with excreta, in which case the queen is probably also infected, so wave goodbye to the queen as well.

 

[Beanwood]

The cages should not be released until a week after placing in colony, all queen cells culled and the receiving colony bees stop balling the cage and have accepted the queen in the cage BEFORE removing the clip. Then leave alone for at least a week.
Just placing in the hive is too risky.

I can see how that would work - but how is the queen fed during her week in the cage please? Do the colony accept her, and then feed her, or is there fondant in the cage with her?

 

[Norton]

Trophallaxis

 

[Beanwood]

Trophallaxis

....and......

 

[Beanwood]

Trophallaxis

Or put another way.....
If the queen cage is in the hive, and the cage is separating the queen from the colony, to prevent the bees from balling the queen (Or whatever it is they do), prior to her acceptance, does the queen not need food for the week, or will one of the bees that's on the outside of the cage provide the food (Albeit through trophallaxis)....

 

[mbc]

I'm afraid however long these queens are left in their cages they will still be buckfasts.

 

[Haughton Honey]

I'm afraid however long these queens are left in their cages they will still be buckfasts.

Nought wrong with Buckfasts.....my best Queens have been F1 Buckfasts and 2nd generation matings.

 

[Walrus]

Or put another way.....
If the queen cage is in the hive, and the cage is separating the queen from the colony, to prevent the bees from balling the queen (Or whatever it is they do), prior to her acceptance, does the queen not need food for the week, or will one of the bees that's on the outside of the cage provide the food (Albeit through trophallaxis)....

The cage has holes in it (for trophallaxis), plus isn't there candy inside the cage anyway? If the workers are going to ball her she is definitely going to last longer in her cage, with ot without food.

I have only ever introduced 3 queens and I did it the way Pete did, without mishap, but I shall be more careful in future (thanks Norton)

 

[susbees]

I'm afraid however long these queens are left in their cages they will still be buckfasts.

Or Buckfast type until diluted by standard UK open mating...

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Norton]

The same would apply to any strain of bee.

 

[Alabamaeee]

My understanding is that there is less chance of the Queen being balled if she is placed in a Nuc and not in a full size colony.

I am awaiting delivery of new queens and will be following the advice on Ged Marshall's site. He advocates checking quickly for eggs after a week, and if everything seems fine to leave them alone for another week.

 

[Pete D]

I too followed Geds advice, right or wrong.
I have no problem leaving them an extra week, it will be 4 less to check next week.
Fingers crossed then
Pete D

 

[susbees]

The same would apply to any strain of bee.

But you will agree Norton that the Buckfast was a cross between selected strains of several Am sub-species...a complex brew: how many beekeepers are repeating these crosses and fine-tuning them rather than taking something that had Buckfast predecessors and calling it a Buckfast?

 

[Pete D]

Well they are in, up and about early this morning so just after 7 I opened up the 4 nucs 1 at a time and hung the cage between the middle 2 frames. I had previously prepped them by releasing the attendants into a large plastic bag, the queens are marked and clipped so that helped with not losing them. The flap at the end was opened up to let them get at the fondant and its fingers crossed time.
Leave them for a week now and have a quick check for eggs
Pete D

As an update to this thread my 4 queen introductions have all been sucessful and have built up nicely into strong 14x12 colonies ready for the winter.
As pointed out in this thread what I did was wrong or right depending on who's advice I was to follow. I went with what I had been told, had read and had reasoned for myself.
Lucky aint I
Next year I may do it again using my own queens and probably fail miserably.

Pete D

 

[oliver90owner]

Well done, Pete.

There is, of course a whole spectrum of introduction success rates and introduction methods.

Per eg, lowest rates of introduction success would be where there is already a resident queen!#!..., then active laying workers..., then perhaps all old bees, right though to small groups of nurse bees (a nuc made up in the same apiary as the donor colony/ies). New beekeepers could make their own list as an exercise on risk assessment in this part of beekeeping, perhaps along with steps that could be taken to ameliorate the risks of the method chosen.

Personally, I like splits with queen cells from single colonies, if I can arrange - pretty well bomb-proof for me at the right time of the year, although mating this year would have been a lottery. Unites are next on my list, but even as someone who has never ever bought in a new queen I recognise that at times the risk has to be taken.

RAB

 

[Pete D]

Thanks RAB, maybe lucky though.
My splits using queen cells were also sucessful, more so than AS and dodgy swarms. I wont be buying queens next year unless my over wintering is a disaster.
I brought these 4 as I want to use them next year to raise some of my own from 'known stock' albeit with the local drone pool.

Pete D